By Stefania Bleggi
Venezia (Venice) is one of the world’s most unique and beautiful cities. Unfortunately, though, its worldwide attention is more related to its fragility than its beauty. Indeed, Venice and its lagoon were inscribed on The 7 Most Endangered 2016 Programme of Europa Nostra and came close to being included on the UNESCO World Heritage in Danger list (Hackett & Frade, 2017). Moreover, in the last decades, several protests have emerged against tourism by many Veneziani (Venetians) and local organisations (Barbati, 2024; Venessia.com, 2022). It is one of the most well-known historical cities in the world dealing simultaneously with disneyfication, touristification, gentrification, overtourism, and climate change (Bertocchi & Visentin, 2019; Ferro et al., 2022; Ianniello & Cánoves Valiente, 2022; Rosin & Gombault, 2021; Salerno, 2022; Salerno & Russo, 2020). However, the issues are far more complex than academic words.
About this Blog
This is the 15th blog post of the series of 24 blogs prepared by graduate students and early career professionals who shared their views on the future of heritage and landscape planning.
The writers of these blogposts participated in the Heriland Blended Intensive Programme “Heritage and the Planning of Landscapes” in October 2024 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
A residents’ survey in 2019 conducted by the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the University of Udine analysed residents’ perceptions of tourism impacts in the historical centre (Bertocchi & Visentin, 2019). The results revealed that the primary reasons for leaving – apart from other personal ones – were overtourism, lack of local services, life too expensive, lack of jobs outside the tourism industry and renting their houses for profit (Bertocchi & Visentin, 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these issues, shifting from overtourism to no-tourism and raising reconsiderations on different tourism practices and city management (Rosin & Gombault, 2021). The pandemic, however, did not lead to change but to new protests by hundreds of residents, such as in April 2024 against the inefficacy of the new tourist entrance tax (Barbati, 2024).
As a result, this use of heritage as a “money machine” squeezes the city and significantly influences cultural dynamics (Bertocchi & Visentin, 2019; Zanini, 2017). The malfunctioning of local services and their relocation to the mainland, the appropriation of public spaces by tourists, the dependence on the tertiary sector, and the difficulty of living in the historical centre have sadly led to the so-called “Venetian exodus” (Bertocchi & Visentin, 2019; Ianniello & Cánoves Valiente, 2022; F. Zanini et al., 2008; S. Zanini, 2017).
Considering the whole picture, phenomena such as disneyfication, touristification, gentrification and overtourism – along with climate change – threaten Venice’s cultural, natural and intangible elements; Venetians’ cultural rights to living in their city, impacting their sense of place, the transmission of traditions and local knowledge to the next generations (S. Zanini, 2017). For these reasons, it is essential to understand who is directly and indirectly affected, what, where and how by these phenomena, identifying the intangible aspects linked to the cultural landscape and people as well as the overall social impacts, to heal, safeguard and foster awareness of this bond.
How to Understand Venezia and Veneziani
During the Heriland Blended Intensive Program, tools such as Cultural Mapping (CM), Historic Landscape Characterization, Heritage Impact Assessment, and Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) were introduced as essential for understanding changes in cultural landscapes and to consider the relationship of social, economic, environmental and heritage dimensions of a cultural landscape.
I found these tools not only crucial to managing the city’s issues through heritage for heritage, namely people but also their potential to involve them. Indeed, implementing a CM with Venetians could bring multiple benefits. It could clearly illustrate the relationship between people and their heritage within the landscape, identify intangible elements needing safeguarding and highlight areas shaped by tourism that are essential to Venetians’ cultural daily life (Minca, 1998; Salerno, 2022; S. Zanini, 2017). It could also be a tool to engage Venetians and address recommendations for sustainable tourism such as promoting economic diversification and local craftsmanship (Albert et al., 2017; Busacca & Paladini, 2019; Grcheva & Oktay Vehbi, 2021; Oers, 2015). Additionally, it could contribute to creating an inventory of intangible elements and prevent heritage overexploitation (UNESCO, n.d.).
Fostering a deeper understanding and identification of the fragile bond between Venezia and its people could also support the implementation of the HUL approach. This would further help manage challenges and address sustainable development projects for Venice; a sustainable present and future for Venetians and the next generations.
It is Time to Listen
Participating in the Heriland Blended Intensive Programme inspired me to reflect on sustainable heritage management in many ways. For instance, the importance of understanding (or we might say listening to) people, places and their relationships – that create a fluid ecosystem of values and significances – identify changes and how to sustainably adapt to them as well as the need for bottom-up approaches in both heritage and tourism management.
Nonetheless, while community involvement is considered fundamental, it is easier said than done (Grcheva & Oktay Vehbi, 2021). During the fieldwork in Gothenburg (Sweden), the difficulties in activating the local community in the city’s management and urban planning were mainly associated with wrong communication channels. Despite the efforts to apply participatory approaches, these challenges underscored the importance of first understanding communities, groups and individuals, and building mutual trust to address multiple effective communication and engagement strategies. Furthermore, strengthening partnerships with international and local NGOs, educational and cultural institutions, and organisations, in both heritage and tourism management, could also facilitate long-term solid bottom-up approaches, provide resources, promote successful sustainable heritage practices and manage city challenges (Grcheva & Oktay Vehbi, 2021; Nasser, 2003; NEMO Network of European Museum Organisations, 2016).
Lastly, a shift in focus towards intangible elements and strengthening the relationship between places, people and heritage is crucial. As 21st-century heritage professionals, it is time to start reflecting on our rules and duties as facilitators and mediators for people and with people. It is time to ask ourselves why and for whomwe act before considering how.
It is time to listen.
Bibliography
Albert, M., Bandarin, F., & Pereira Roders, A. (2017). The Potential of Culture for Sustainable Development in Heritage Studies. Going Beyond Perceptions of Sustainability in Heritage Studies No. 2, 33–43.
Barbati, G. (2024, April 26). Venezia, come è andato il primo giorno con il biglietto d’ingresso: Proteste e lamentele. Euronews. https://it.euronews.com/2024/04/26/venezia-come-e-andato-il-primo-giorno-con-il-biglietto-dingresso-proteste-e-lamentele
Bertocchi, D., & Visentin, F. (2019). The Overwhelmed City: Physical and Social Over-Capacities of Global Tourism in Venice. Sustainability, 11(24), 1–19.
Bonifacio, D. (2022). La disneyficazione. Dimensioni e registri di un linguaggio universale. Mimesis. https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=8oRjEAAAQBAJ&pg=GBS.PT1&hl=en
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Nasser, N. (2003). Planning for Urban Heritage Places: Reconciling Conservation, Tourism, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Planning Literature. Sage Publications, 17(4), 467–479.
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Rosin, U., & Gombault, A. (2021). Venice in Crisis: The Brutal Marker of Covid-19. International Journal of Arts Management, 23(2), 75–88.
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Zanini, S. (2017). Tourism pressures and depopulation in Cannaregio. Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 7(2), 164–178. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCHMSD-06-2016-0036
Blog post main photo. [screenshot]. Retrieved 3/11/2024 from https://www.ad-italia.it/article/venezia-nel-2050-intelligenza-artificiale-biennale-architettura-geberit/
Figure 1. [screenshot]. Retrieved 23/12/2024 from https://www.venessia.com/contatoreabitanti/
Figure 2. [screenshot]. Retrieved 3/11/2024 from https://www.venessia.com/venditaveneziani/
About the author
Stefania Bleggi is a Double Degree Master’s student in World Heritage Studies and Cultural Heritage & Museum Studies from the University of Technology of Brandenburg in Cottbus (Germany) and the Deakin University in Melbourne (Australia). The Blog post is inspired by the author’s interest in sustainable heritage management and the lectures during the fieldwork in Gothenburg (Sweden) in October 2024, as part of the Heriland Blended Intensive Programme “Heritage and Landscapes Futures”.
Contact the author: stefania.bleggi@gmail.com